Natural Disasters, and Unnatural Consequences (8 Letters)

South Asia faces a gargantuan rebuilding task unparalleled in the last 40 years. As a watching world, and as individuals, we are called by divine providence to "weep with those who weep" and to do all in our power to provide solace and tangible aid to those who cannot help themselves.

Our response, or lack thereof, will be indelibly recorded in the annals of history.

Dave MorseYokohama, Japan, Dec. 28, 2004

To the Editor:

Re "Sounding the Alarm" (editorial, Dec. 28):

Does anyone think that if the wave had been in the Atlantic, heading toward Europe, the warnings would have failed to reach the countries at risk?

Martin CohenSt.-Julien-sur-Sarthe, FranceDec. 28, 2004

To the Editor:

We have learned that the earthquake and tsunami were detected hours before the huge waves reached Sri Lanka and India, and that a notification system for these Indian Ocean countries could have saved countless lives.

Is it not our moral duty to go out of the way to inform these countries at the earliest moment when a terrible tragedy is waiting to happen? Is there anything more important in life than to save someone's life?

According to "At Warning Center, Alert for the Quake, None for a Tsunami" (front page, Dec. 28), "one of the few places in the Indian Ocean that got the message of the quake was Diego Garcia, a speck of an island with a United States Navy base." Contacting "appropriate people in Sri Lanka or India was harder."

I can imagine how loud the reaction would be if more than 40,000 Americans had died because of the lack of an early warning system. The fact is, the United States and other countries in the West regard the lives of those in developing countries as cheap and expendable.

While globalization is regarded as something that must be exported, there is silence with respect to the export of precious information that would save lives in other parts of the world.

Sujatha Byravan Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 28, 2004

To the Editor:

Re "A Day of Devastation" (editorial, Dec. 27):

There is an implication that when faced with the "amoral mechanics" of the earth, we can only recognize the ephemeral nature of our presence on it. Yet the cause and effects of the tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean coastline have been known for nearly a century. Many lives could have been saved through public awareness programs that urge simple actions.

For example, if you are near a beach and feel an earthquake or see the water recede, run to a higher location. More specific warnings based on sensor systems, rapid data analysis and mass communications are easily made possible with modern technology. The continuing tragedy is that in the face of natural hazards, there is little attention given by the public and governments to plans and policies to reduce the effects of these threats before they occur.

Another meaning worth considering concerns our relationship to nature. Disasters like this one remind us that we are not outside or above the natural world; we are intimately interwoven into the great web of life.

(Rev.) Tom MartinezBrooklyn, Dec. 27, 2004

To the Editor:

It's easy for George W. Bush to express sorrow and to send condolences and even some aid for the Indian Ocean tsunami devastation, since he appears to bear no culpability, as he does in other situations in other parts of the world.

But the next time there is a severe offshore earthquake and resulting tsunami, the sea level will be just a little bit higher, and the water and destruction will go a bit further inland and kill even more people. And for that, he will bear some culpability for not even wanting to consider global warming, much less do anything about it as the leader of the country most responsible for man-made warming and ice-cap melting.

Pierre E. BiscayePalisades, N.Y., Dec. 27, 2004The writer is a special research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

To the Editor:

Re "Day of Devastation" (editorial, Dec. 27):

The effects of this undersea earthquake were monumental, and its shock waves sent tremors through the entire earth, reminding us of the fragility of life on this planet and the need for unity among us to survive.

The immediate offers of help from the entire world were comforting, and it is gratifying to see what mankind is capable of during a catastrophe. I believe that most people have an inherent desire to help and protect those at risk. If only we could translate these instincts into avoiding senseless conflicts like the war in Iraq, where no one wins and the stakes are so high.

We don't know how long our planet will hold up or what other natural disasters may occur, and we cannot afford to continue to dissipate our resources in unending conflicts and wars. I think that this catastrophe in Southeast Asia could be a wake-up call for all of us.